This was not the first time Enoch had been in heaven. Once before,
while he sojourned among men, he had been permitted to see all there is
on earth and in the heavens. On a time when he was sleeping, a great
grief came upon his heart, and he wept in his dream, not knowing what
the grief meant, nor what would happen to him. And there appeared to
him two men, very tall. Their faces shone like the sun, and their eyes
were like burning lamps, and fire came forth from their lips; their
wings were brighter than gold, their hands whiter than snow. They stood
at the head of Enoch's bed, and called him by his name. He awoke from
his sleep, and hastened and made obeisance to them, and was terrified.
And these men said to him: "Be of good cheer, Enoch, be not afraid; the
everlasting God hath sent us to thee, and lo! to-day thou shalt ascend
with us into heaven. And tell thy sons and thy servants, and let none
seek thee, till the Lord bring thee back to them."
Enoch did as he was told, and after he had spoken to his sons, and
instructed them not to turn aside from God, and to keep His judgment,
these two men summoned him, and took him on their wings, and placed him
on the clouds, which moved higher and higher, till they set him down in
the first heaven. Here they showed him the two hundred angels who rule
the stars, and their heavenly service. Here he saw also the treasuries
of snow and ice, of clouds and dew.
From there they took him to the second heaven, where he saw the fallen
angels imprisoned, they who obeyed not the commandments of God, and
took counsel of their own will. The fallen angels said to Enoch, "O man
of God! Pray for us to the Lord," and he answered: "Who am I, a mortal
man, that I should pray for angels? Who knows whither I go, or what
awaits me?"
They took him from thence to the third heaven, where they showed him
Paradise, with all the trees of beautiful colors, and their fruits,
ripe and luscious, and all kinds of food which they produced, springing
up with delightful fragrance. In the midst of Paradise he saw the tree
of life, in that place in which God rests when He comes into Paradise.
This tree cannot be described for its excellence and sweet fragrance,
and it is beautiful, more than any created thing, and on all its sides
it is like gold and crimson in appearance, and transparent as fire, and
it covers everything. From its root in the garden there go forth four
streams, which pour out honey, milk, oil, and wine, and they go down to
the Paradise of Eden, that lies on the confines between the earthly
region of corruptibility and the heavenly region of incorruptibility,
and thence they go along the earth. He also saw the three hundred
angels who keep the garden, and with never-ceasing voices and blessed
singing they serve the Lord every day. The angels leading Enoch
explained to him that this place is prepared for the righteous, while
the terrible place prepared for the sinners is in the northern regions
of the third heaven. He saw there all sorts of tortures, and
impenetrable gloom, and there is no light there, but a gloomy fire is
always burning. And all that place has fire on all sides, and on all
sides cold and ice, thus it burns and freezes. And the angels, terrible
and without pity, carry savage weapons, and their torture is
unmerciful.
The angels took him then to the fourth heaven, and showed him all the
comings in and goings forth, and all the rays of the light of the sun
and the moon. He saw the fifteen myriads of angels who go out with the
sun, and attend him during the day, and the thousand angels who attend
him by night. Each angel has six wings, and they go before the chariot
of the sun, while one hundred angels keep the sun warm, and light it
up. He saw also the wonderful and strange creatures named phoenixes and
chalkidri, who attend the chariot of the sun, and go with him, bringing
heat and dew. They showed him also the six gates in the east of the
fourth heaven, by which the sun goes forth, and the six gates in the
west where he sets, and also the gates by which the moon goes out, and
those by which she enters. In the middle of the fourth heaven he saw an
armed host, serving the Lord with cymbals and organs and unceasing
voices.
In the fifth heaven he saw many hosts of the angels called Grigori.
Their appearance was like men, and their size was greater than the size
of the giants, their countenances were withered, and their lips silent.
On his question who they were, the angels leading him answered, "These
are the Grigori, who with their prince Salamiel rejected the holy
Lord." Enoch then said to the Grigori, "Why wait ye, brethren, and
serve ye not before the face of the Lord, and why perform ye not your
duties before the face of the Lord, and anger not your Lord to the
end?" The Grigori listened to the rebuke, and when the trumpets
resounded together with a loud call, they also began to sing with one
voice, and their voices went forth before the Lord with sadness and
tenderness.
In the seventh heaven he saw the seven bands of archangels who arrange
and study the revolutions of the stars and the changes of the moon and
the revolution of the sun, and superintend the good or evil conditions
of the world. And they arrange teachings and instructions and sweet
speaking and singing and all kinds of glorious praise. They hold in
subjection all living things, both in heaven and on earth. In the midst
of them are seven phoenixes, and seven cherubim, and seven six-winged
creatures, singing with one voice.
When Enoch reached the seventh heaven, and saw all the fiery hosts of
great archangels and incorporeal powers and lordships and
principalities and powers, he was afraid and trembled with a great
terror. Those leading him took hold of him, and brought him into the
midst of them, and said to him, "Be of good cheer, Enoch, be not
afraid," and they showed him the Lord from afar, sitting on His lofty
throne, while all the heavenly hosts, divided in ten classes, having
approached, stood on the ten steps according to their rank, and made
obeisance to the Lord. And so they proceeded to their places in joy and
mirth and boundless light, singing songs with low and gentle voices,
and gloriously serving Him. They leave not nor depart day or night,
standing before the face of the Lord, working His will, cherubim and
seraphim, standing around His throne. And the six-winged creatures
overshadow all His throne, singing with a soft voice before the face of
the Lord, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; heaven and earth are
full of His glory." When he had seen all these, the angels leading him
said to him, "Enoch, up to this time we were ordered to accompany
thee." They departed, and he saw them no more. Enoch remained at the
extremity of the seventh heaven, in great terror, saying to himself,
"Woe is me! What has come upon me!" But then Gabriel came and said unto
him, "Enoch, be not afraid, stand up and come with me, and stand up
before the face of the Lord forever." And Enoch answered: "O my lord,
my spirit has departed from me with fear and trembling. Call the men to
me who have brought me to the place! Upon them I have relied, and with
them I would go before the face of the Lord." And Gabriel hurried him
away like a leaf carried off by the wind, and set him before the face
of the Lord. Enoch fell down and worshipped the Lord, who said to him:
"Enoch, be not afraid! Rise up and stand before My face forever." And
Michael lifted him up, and at the command of the Lord took his earthly
robe from him, and anointed him with the holy oil, and clothed him, and
when he gazed upon himself, he looked like one of God's glorious ones,
and fear and trembling departed from him. God called then one of His
archangels who was more wise than all the others, and wrote down all
the doings of the Lord, and He said to him, "Bring forth the books from
My store-place, and give a reed to Enoch, and interpret the books to
him." The angel did as he was commanded, and he instructed Enoch thirty
days and thirty nights, and his lips never ceased speaking, while Enoch
was writing down all the things about heaven and earth, angels and men,
and all that is suitable to be instructed in. He also wrote down all
about the souls of men, those of them which are not born, and the
places prepared for them forever. He copied all accurately, and he
wrote three hundred and sixty-six books. After he had received all the
instructions from the archangel, God revealed unto him great secrets,
which even the angels do not know. He told him how, out of the lowest
darkness, the visible and the invisible were created, how He formed
heaven, light, water, and earth, and also the fall of Satan and the
creation and sin of Adam He narrated to him, and further revealed to
him that the duration of the world will be seven thousand years, and
the eighth millennium will be a time when there is no computation, no
end, neither years, nor months, nor weeks, nor days, nor hours.
The Lord finished this revelation to Enoch with the words: "And now I
give thee Samuil and Raguil, who brought thee to Me. Go with them upon
the earth, and tell thy sons what things I have said to thee, and what
thou hast seen from the lowest heaven up to My throne. Give them the
works written out by thee, and they shall read them, and shall
distribute the books to their children's children and from generation
to generation and from nation to nation. And I will give thee My
messenger Michael for thy writings and for the writings of thy fathers,
Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared thy father. And I shall
not require them till the last age, for I have instructed My two
angels, Ariuk and Mariuk, whom I have put upon the earth as their
guardians, and I have ordered them in time to guard them, that the
account of what I shall do in thy family may not be lost in the deluge
to come. For on account of the wickedness and iniquity of men, I will
bring a deluge upon the earth, and I will destroy all, but I will leave
a righteous man of thy race with all his house, who shall act according
to My will. From their seed will be raised up a numerous generation,
and on the extinction of that family, I will show them the books of thy
writings and of thy father, and the guardians of them on earth will
show them to the men who are true and please Me. And they shall tell to
another generation, and they, having read them, shall be glorified at
last more than before."
Enoch was then sent to earth to remain there for thirty days to
instruct his sons, but before he left heaven, God sent an angel to him
whose appearance was like snow, and his hands were like ice. Enoch
looked at him, and his face was chilled, that men might be able to
endure the sight of him. The angels who took him to heaven put him upon
his bed, in the place where his son Methuselah was expecting him by day
and by night. Enoch assembled his sons and all his household, and
instructed them faithfully about all things he had seen, heard, and
written down, and he gave his books to his sons, to keep them and read
them, admonishing them not to conceal the books, but tell them to all
desiring to know. When the thirty days had been completed, the Lord
sent darkness upon the earth, and there was gloom, and it hid the men
standing with Enoch. And the angels hasted and took Enoch, and carried
him to the highest heaven, where the Lord received him and set him
before His face, and the darkness departed from the earth, and there
was light. And the people saw, and did not understand how Enoch was
taken, and they glorified God.
Enoch was born on the sixth day of the month of Siwan, and he was taken
to heaven in the same month, Siwan, on the same day and in the same
hour when he was born. And Methuselah hasted and all his brethren, the
sons of Enoch, and built an altar in the place called Achuzan, whence
Enoch was taken up to heaven. The elders and all the people came to the
festivity and brought their gifts to the sons of Enoch, and made a
great festivity, rejoicing and being merry for three days, praising
God, who had given such a sign by means of Enoch, who had found favor
with them.[60]